Albus and the Resurrection Stone
by vickyamy
Summary: This is all about Albus Potter's first year at Hogwarts in 2017. It starts where Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows finishes and follows his adventures along with Rose Weasley and Scorpius Malfoy.
1. Resurrection Stone

Chapter 1

The forbidden forest was as dark and misty as ever in the clearing where Harry Potter had nearly died. The trees all around were thick with the things that had been there before the story of Harry Potter had even begun. The light was dim and at points you couldn't see a thing. Of course, if you were a wizard you could just go 'Lumos' and the world would be lit. As it happened, it was now a station for wounded and old centaurs. Bane, the lead centaur, has foreseen that he was going to die soon. He now just sits in the middle, with many lady centaurs kneeling before him; to do their time of worship to show thanks for what he has done.

Suddenly, they heard someone, or something, coming out of the darkness. As one, the centaurs stopped breathing. They wouldn't give away their position or surrender their leader, to whatever is out there.

A girl appears, wandering through the trees. A girl that you and I know of as Gabrielle Delacour. A weak little girl with no known ambition whose sister was entered into the Triwizard Tournament a great many years ago. This 'girl' was always known as innocent, but the war between good and evil had changed her. She became a woman of high standing strong enough to take Minerva McGonagall's place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The centaurs breathed out, relieved the noise wasn't one of Aragog's descendants. For, you see, even though Aragog had died on the night Harry drank Felix Felicis, he had many descendants to do his work after he had gone.

"Hello. It's a wonder seeing you here." says Gabrielle Delacour, the new transfiguration teacher and head of Ravenclaw house at Hogwarts.

"You see us here everyday, Gabrielle." Bane growled in response, as if to say that she had lost her mind.

"I know, I know. But I just want to practice my English."

Gabrielle stepped forward into the heart of the clearing. Swiftly, she bent over, gasping out in agony. "What is it, my sweet?" asks Firenze, the amazing centaur who went against his kid to teach in the post of Divination teacher in the absence of Professor Trelawney. "Ouch! My foot! My foot! I have hurt my foot!" cries Gabrielle while clearly in pain. Firenze trots over to her in order to comfort Gabrielle. She had in fact stepped on the resurrection stone, but she doesn't know that yet. Gabrielle faints, but Firenze catches her and takes her up to Madame Pomfrey, the wonderful Hogwarts nurse who had healed too many people to count, for help.

Two hours later, Gabrielle woke up, to find that she was aching all over. "I must have fallen hard," she thought. She clenched her hand to find the stone was freezing cold to her touch. A gripping pain came over her body. It seemed to be coming from the stone. Realizing this, she tried to let go of the stone but it was stuck fast to her skin. Madame Pomfrey bustles into the room, but stops short of her desk at the sight of Gabrielle wriggling around as if she was under a curse. "Oh no!" she shouts and runs out of the room.

Seconds later Arthur Weasley arrived on the scene. He ran over to where Gabrielle was still in pain. "What is it? What has hurt you?" exclaims Arthur franticly. Gabrielle weakly tries to opens her hand. He notices the stone and attempts to pull it out, but it won't budge. He whisked out his wand and said "Wingdardium Leviosa!" The stone flew out of Gabrielle's hand and she immediately stopped twitching. She lay there quiet, exausted from her ordeal. Madame Pomfrey rushed in to catch the stone but Arthur swats her hand away. Instead he caught it with one of the sheets on Gabrielle's hospital bed. "That is dangerous. You must not touch it." scolds Arthur. Madame Pomfrey nods meekly. "Stay there and look after her. Our friend here has found something very dear to us." He stopped abruptly and turned and walked out of the hospital wing.

The headmaster's office was a very curious place indeed. When Dumbledore was Headmaster, the password would be whatever sweet he liked best that year. Every previous headmaster has their picture on the wall so they could give advice to the new ones. Arthur Weasley, the new Headmaster had found a great many relics belonging to Dumbledore's reign of power. One was Tom Riddle's destroyed diary and another rather peculiar item that seemed like a ring but it had no stone to complete it. Now he had at last found it after weeks and weeks of searching. He looked closely at the stone. It appeared have markings on it. He could see a triangle with a circle inside, which had been split down the middle.

He gasped in surprise. It was the deathly hallows sign. Now he understood why Albus Dumbledore had kept himself so secretive that last year. He was protecting two of the deathly hallows, the first being the Elder Wand, which is said to be the most powerful wand in the world. The second being the resurrection stone, a stone that can bring back the dead. The one he never got was the Cloak of Invisibity, which can hide you from all the people in the world. Put the three together and you would be the master of death.

"I need to keep this safe. It could prove useful to me at some point," Arthur thinks. He wrapped the stone in the fabric he first used to catch the stone and put it, as well as the diary, back in the locked desk drawer.


	2. A wand, an owl and a lot of books

Chapter 2

The sun was shining as the Potter family set off. Godric's Hollow had been remade after the scandal of Bathilda Bagshot, the Potter's old time friend, being inhabited by Nagini, Voldemort's snake. New houses were built and Godric's Hollow was the great Gryffindor village once again.

The Potter's had been given their own flying car by Arthur Weasley. He had created many after the downfall of Voldemort.

"Everyone in!" Harry Potter shouted, "We're meeting the rest of them soon!"

James Sirius Potter, the oldest of the three, got in. Then Lilly Luna and Albus Severus climbed in. Lilly was sandwiched between her two older brothers, a painful experience seeing as they were always fighting. Finally Ginny Potter climbed gracefully into the car behind her husband. "Let's go," she said.

"Albus, what's on your list?" Harry Potter asked his son.

"Come on, read it out." James said, leaning across Lilly.

"It says:

HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY

Uniform

 _First-year students will require:_

 _Three sets of plain work robes (black)_

 _One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear_

 _One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)_

 _One winter coat (black, silver fastenings)_

 _Please note that all pupils' clothes should carry name tags_

Set Books

 _All students should have a copy of each of the following:_

The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) by _Miranda Goshawk_

A History of Magic by _Bathilda Bagshot_

Magical Theory by _Adalbert Waffling_

A Beginners' Guide to Transfiguration by _Emeric Switch_

One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by _Phyllida Spore_

Magical Drafts and Potions by _Arsenius Jigger_

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by _Newt Scamander_

The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by _Quentin Trimble_

Other Equipment

 _1 wand_

 _1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)_

 _1 set glass or crystal phials_

 _1 telescope_

 _1 set brass scales_

 _Students may also bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad_

PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST-YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS" Albus looked up from reading the letter.

As the family walked into the Leaky Cauldron, the people inside stood up to welcome Harry Potter back into the Wizarding World. A voice cried out from the back, "Now really! Does he need all that?" Albus moved to see who had spoken. The man had an eye patch and was wearing a top hat and very formal black dressrobes. Albus wondered whether he had come from the past. His clothes looked as if he was old-fashioned.

"We are sorry, but we are just going to Diagon Alley," said Ginny, the only one brave enough to speak after the strange man.

"Let me take you," Tom, the bar keeper, piped up. He walked towards the back door. Lilly was slightly surprised at there being a door in between the congestion of bodies further back. The pub was very full that day.

Tom led them out towards the back wall. "If you would do the honours," he said to Harry Potter, "After all, you are famous."

Harry raised his wand and tapped the wall three times with the point of his wand. The brick he had touched began to shift and slowly, very slowly, there created a small hole in the middle of the single brick. Then, to the amazement of Albus Potter, a red brick archway was in front of them.

The family stepped through the archway into Diagon Alley. The street was full of lively people and the businesses were up and running again after the time of Voldemort.

"Can we go to the Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, please?" Lilly pleaded to her mother.

"Go on then," Ginny replied.

Lilly ran off, chased by her brothers. The joke shop was several stories high and was jutting out at weird angles compared to Gringotts next door. Inside was Ron and Hermoine Weasley; and their son and daughter, Hugo and Rose. When the two groups saw each other, they ran up and hugged.

"It is so great to see you again!" Hermoine said.

"Yes. But should we go to get the children's things for Hogwarts. That is after all why we are here," Ron suggested.

"Yes," Ginny agreed. The group said goodbye to George and Angelica Weasley, who were running the store, and stepped outside.

The first place they went to was of course Ollivanders Wand Shop, put back into business after Ollivander himself got kidnapped by Lord Voldemort. The faded brown sign still said _Ollivanders: makers of Fine Wands since 382 BC_ , and the walls had been stripped of posters.

Albus pushed open the creaky front door and entered the building. His eyes widened when he saw the shelves and shelves of boxes sitting still, full of all the wands that would, one day, choose a wizard. One would be his.

An old man zoomed into sight above Albus. He seemed to be balancing on a ladder reaching high above the sight of a normal person. "I thought you would be coming," said Ollivander mysteriously. "Yes, let me see, your father had a holly and phoenix feather wand, eleven inches, nice and supple. An unusual combination that was. Now your mother, Ginny, her wand was hazel and dragon heartstring, twelve and a half inches, nice and flexible. But you ... Maybe this will do,"

Ollivander gave Albus a wand to try. "What am I supposed to do with it?" Albus asked when Ollivander stared at him, as if he was willing the wand to do something.

"Go on, wave it then." Albus waved it just like his father had shown him. A cascade of shelves came down on the other side of the room. "Not that one then."

Albus put the wand carefully back in its case, while leaning away from the wand, scared of what it could do. "Try this." He passed down another wand. Albus waved it, shattering a glass on the cluttered desk. "No. Not that one." Ollivander stared at Albus. "It could be this one. Ebony and dragon heartstring, eight inches, quite whippy. No, it can't be. Yes. Have it." Ollivander looked away as he said this and held out the precious wand where Albus took it. Immediately a spiral of golden spikes came out of the tip.

"I haven't seen as good a one as that in, well, since your father!"

Ollivander led Albus to the corner of the room, so they weren't overheard. "I remember every single wand I have ever made and sold in my life. Now there, the wand that you are holding, there was a second wand I made from the same dragon. That one I gave to Voldemort when I was imprisoned by him. I suspect he gave it to family, he had a daughter. But she was kept in hiding. Now with both her parents dead, she may come for the wizard with the twin wand core. She's said to be deadly!"

"If I may ask, who was her mother?"

"Her mother? She was Bellatrix Lestrange."

Meanwhile, Harry Potter and the others had entered the shop quietly behind him. They stood watching as the events unfolded before them. Now, Albus turned around and saw his family there behind him. He smiled and showed the people assembled his new and brightly shining wand.

"That will be seven gold galleons please," Ollivander mentioned from behind Albus. Harry stepped forward to pay him, procuring the galleons from his pocket. "Ah, hello Rose. Your wand was willow and phoenix feather, ten inches, swishy. Why, you only bought it two hours ago." Rose nodded respectfully and the family left.

The next place to go to was Flourish and Blotts, the best bookstore in Diagon Alley. Albus needed: The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) by _Miranda Goshawk_ , A History of Magic by _Bathilda Bagshot_ , Magical Theory by _Adalbert Waffling_ , A Beginners' Guide to Transfiguration by _Emeric Switch_ , One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by _Phyllida Spore_ , Magical Drafts and Potions by _Arsenius Jigger_ , Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by _Newt Scamander_ and the Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by _Quentin Trimble_.

Inside, the shelves were packed to the ceiling with every book that you could think of. The range went from Your Basic Kitchen Spells by _Anna Morgan_ to Curses and Counter-Curses by _Professor Vindictus Viridian_. Albus bought all the books that he needed and headed to the apothecary's to buy the ingredients he needed for potions.

Then he went to _Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions_. When he stepped inside the shop, a squat, smiling witch stood in front of him. She said "Hogwarts?" Albus nodded. "Come on in. In fact another boy is being done right now." She led him further into the shop where he could see another boy being measured for his new robes. This boy was pale-faced and had small red pinching eyes. Now that he thought about it, he looked rather like a rat to be honest. "Just step up here. That's it." She pulled a long robe over his head and started to pin the edges in so that it would fit him."

The other boy had just noticed him. "Hello, I'm Malfoy, Scorpious Malfoy."

"Hi, I'm Albus Potter."

" _You_ are Albus Potter, the famous Harry Potter's son? I did think that you would be a little more imposing than that. Not that that's true for any of your family."

"That's not very nice," said Albus, offended.

Malfoy paused for a moment. "Do you know what house you're going to be in? I want to be in Slytherin. I wouldn't want to be in Hufflepuff though, would you? I think I'd turn around and go straight home if I found out I was."

"Huffflepuff are actually very loyal. The only reason they don't seem as good as the other houses because they don't boast about what they've done."

"So you want to be in Hufflepuff?"

"No, it's Gryffindor for me."

Thankfully by that point Albus was done with fitting his robes and could go away from Scorpious Malfoy.

The last store was the Eeylops Owl Emporium. Albus wanted an owl to take to Hogwarts. They at last bought a large eagle owl with white dots all over it.

It was getting late as Albus and his family made their way back through the archway and the Leaky Cauldron. They got in their flying car.

"What are you going to call your owl?" Ginny asked.

"I think I will call him Cyclops." Albus decided.

"That's a silly name for a bird," James said.

"No, it isn't!" Albus answered.

"You're going to be put in Slytherin and that's where all the bad wizards go," James said.

"I am not. I'm going to be put in Gryffindor, aren't I dad?" His father turns away, intend on the fact that he is driving. "Aren't I mum?" Albus said, turning to his mother.

"Yes you are. Don't listen to your brother," she said shakily trying to convince herself as well as her son.

They then made their way home, to the relief of the younger children.


	3. Off to Hogwarts

Chapter 3

The first of September was especially cold that year. Autumn had come early. Two large bird cages were perched on top of two trunks of the luggage of a family coming towards the barrier between platform 9 and platform 10.

"Come on, James first!" Ginny said.

James rolled his trunk forward into the barrier and disappeared to the amazement of the muggles, that is non-magical folk, around them. Then, Albus and his father approached the barrier, with Albus cringing away at the last moment but his father held him in place. Albus screwed up his eyes instead.

All of a sudden Albus realised that they had emerged onto platform 9 ¾ and that they were not smashed up on the wall they had just left behind. When he opened his eyes, all he could see was the people and the rolling mist, showing first one person then another. The parents were in various stages of disarray at their children going away to Hogwarts. Albus stepped forward and saw the train. It was scarlet red and it seemed to have been painted recently.

"Dad, you don't think that the Sorting Hat will put me in Slytherin, do you?" Albus asked, so that only his father could hear.

Harry knelt down until he was level with his son. Albus was the only one of his children that had inherited Lilly's green eyes.

"You were named after two great headmasters of Hogwarts. One was a Slytherin, and he was the bravest man I know."

"But what if I am?"

"Then Slytherin would have earned itself a very fine wizard. But, if it matters that much to you, the Sorting Hat does take your choice into account. It did for me."

Albus stared at his father. Harry had never before told anyone that he had asked the Sorting Hat to not go in Slytherin. He closed his eyes...

Hmm, " said a small voice in his ear. "Difficult. Very difficult. Plenty of courage, I see. Not a bad mind, either. There's talent, oh my goodness, yes - and a nice thirst to prove yourself, now that's interesting... So where shall I put you?"

Harry gripped the edges of the stool and thought, "Not Slytherin, not Slytherin."

"Not Slytherin, eh?" said the small voice. "Are you sure? You could be great, you know, it's all here in your head, and Slytherin will help you on the way to greatness, no doubt about that - no? Well, if you're sure - better be GRYFFINDOR!"

"It did that for you!"

"Yes. All you need is to ask and it will. Now let's find the rest of the family."

At that moment, out of the mist came Hugo Weasley. He said, "We've been looking for you everywhere!"

He took Albus's hand in his own and pulled him over to where they could now see the rest. Harry was trailing behind in fits of laughter! If Hugo had turned around, which he did not, he would have seen that his cousin was rather surprised by what was happening.

"Hi," Albus said, sounding immensely relieved, now that Hugo had stopped holding his hand so tightly.

Rose was already wearing her brand new Hogwarts robes. She smiled and waved crazily at Albus.

"So, was the parking alright?" Ron said, "I managed it, and I passed my driving test. Hermoine here didn't think I could, that I'd have to Confund the examiner."

"Well I did think you could. I just didn't express that very much," Hermione protested weakly.

Ron led Harry off so the others wouldn't hear him. "Actually I did Confund the examiner, but it was because of such a small thing that it didn't matter. To me anyway," Ron said.

"What did you do?" Harry asked even though he didn't really want to know.

"Um... Well... I..."

"Just tell me."

"Fine! I went the wrong way round a roundabout!"

"That's not too bad is it?"

"I crashed into two cars and everyone was screaming."

"Quite bad then."

Meanwhile, Lilly was talking to Hugo about what house they were going to be in once they at last got to go to Hogwarts.

"If you're not in Gryffindor, we'll disinherit you," said Ron, "but no pressure."

"Ron!" Hermione said.

"He doesn't mean it," said Ginny, "he's only messing with you."

But Ron wasn't paying attention anymore. He caught Harry's eye and nodded to a spot on the other side of the platform. Where the mist had thinned for a moment you could see Draco Malfoy, his wife and his son, Scorpious.

Draco looked round at that moment and saw the Weasley family staring at him. He nodded covertly and turned away.

"Now Rosie, make sure you beat Scorpious in every test, and you Albus," said Ron.

"Don't tell them that. They'll be enemies from the start and we were supposed to be friends now," Hermione said.

At that moment James came running up to them.

"Guess what I saw! Teddy is over there!" James said, pointing vaguely towards where he had just come from. "And he's with Victorie. He's snogging her! And I went up to them..."

"You interrupted them! You are so like Ron," Ginny said, shaking her head.

"Anyway, I went up to them and asked them what they were doing."

It will be so nice if they got married. Then, Teddy will really be part of the family," Lilly said to herself dreamily.

"He already comes over for dinner three times a week. He might as well just come and live with us," Albus said.

"Yes, he can have my room if he likes, and I can share with Albus," said James, seeming to like the idea.

"No. You can only share a bedroom when I want the house demolished." Harry said.

James looked up hopefully.

"And that will be a long time," Harry said, while checking his battered and old watch. "It's nearly eleven o'clock. Everyone needs to get on the train."

Ginny stepped up and hugged James. "Don't forget to give Neville our love" Ginny said.

"Mum! I can't give a Professor love," James said.

"But you know this one,"

"Outside yes, but at school he's Professor Longbottom. I can't give him love,"

James shook his head at his mother's foolishness and aimed a kick at Albus.

"Bye Al, watch out for the thestrals," James said before hugging his father and jumping onto the train intent on finding his friends.

Albus turned to his father. "You said the thestrals were invisible!" he said.

"And they are. But it doesn't matter to you. First-years get to Hogwarts by the boats, not the carriages," Harry said calmly.

Ginny kissed Albus goodbye.

"See you at Christmas," she said.

"Bye Al," said Harry, as his son hugged him. "Don't forget Hagrid's invited you to tea next Friday. Don't mess with Peeves. Don't duel anyone 'til you've learned how. And don't let James wind you up."

Albus pulled back from the hug and stepped up into the train. Ginny closed the door on him. Harry stepped forward to embrace his wife.

"Everything will be fine," he said. "It has been for nineteen years."

Albus waved goodbye from inside the Hogwarts Express. The train started to roll forward out of the station. Harry ran alongside the train, waving with all his might. He didn't want his youngest son to grow up too soon.

Albus walked along the train until he found the last carriage. It was the only one empty in the whole train. He opened the door and sat down. Someone knocked on the door and came in.

"Could I come and sit in here. All the other compartments are full," he said.

"You already have, but yes," Albus said.

"Hi. I'm Sam Grigg," said the boy, holding out his hand.

Albus took Sam's hand and shook it.

"I'm Albus Potter. So, are you muggle-born?" Albus asked.

"What's a muggle?"

"Non-magic people. You must be muggle-born."

"And being a muggle-born means?"

"Having non-magic parents of course."

"Of course," Sam said, though still not truly understanding why it seemed so simple to Albus.

They heard a voice coming down the corridor.

"The sweet trolley's here. Do you want anything from the sweet trolley?"

The two boys rushed outside to see the sweet trolley coming slowly, slowly towards them. The woman pushing it seemed too old to be alive. She had greasy grey hair that was pulled back into a ponytail. Albus stepped up to the grotesque lady.

"Can I have some of everything please?" Albus asked. The lady passed him a bag of sweets.

"Me too!" Sam said quickly, not wanting to be in the woman's company for more than a minute. The lady gave him a bag too and was handed the money for both.

The boys went back into the compartment and sat down with their sweets laid out on the extra seats. There was every sort of sweet you could imagine and more! There was Bertie Bott's Every-Flavour beans, chocolate frogs, pumpkin pasties, cauldron cakes and so many more! Sam held up a box.

"What are these?" he said, while pushing the box into Albus's hand.

"They're Bertie Bott's Every-Flavour beans," Albus answered.

"So, are they every flavour, or just the normal kind?"

"They are every flavour. My brother told me that he had even got a booger flavour one before. You have to be careful with them."

But Sam had already snatched the box back and opened the lid. The first one was, luckily, blueberry. The second though was earwax flavoured, which is frankly one of the worst you could get.

"Urg! Yuck! That now was disgusting," Sam exclaimed. He put the box down. "I'll try something else."

He ripped open a packet to find that the contents had just jumped out onto the window.

"What's that?" Sam asked, very scared of the sweet that he was just holding.

"That is a chocolate frog. It tends to jump if you're not holding it securely enough," said Albus.

"That'll explain it."

Sam held up a card that he found in the back of the packet and examined it carefully. The card had a picture on the front.

"Wow!" Sam said, looking at the picture closely. "How is it moving? Is it some sort of trick of the light?"

"Don't all pictures move? All the ones I see do, at least in the wizarding world." Albus said.

"They don't in the muggle world."

"How strange."

A girl walked into the compartment. Her hair was perfectly done and she wore her skirt too high. She leaned against the door.

She said, "Has anyone seen a cat. This guy, Billy Wood, has lost one. The silly boy. It answers to the name of Smuggles, and it has bright orange fur." She paused for a moment. "So have you seen it?" She seemed rather bored with the prospect of walking round the train talking about a lost cat.

"No we have not," Albus said.

"I'll go away then, won't I," she said.

"Exactly," Albus replied.

"Fine!" she said, and turned abruptly. She slammed the door behind her and stalked off.

Rose came striding up to the pair of boys, having just passed Nancy Greengrass, looking extremely angry.

"What did you do? Nancy is mightily angry," Rose shouted.

"Who's Nancy?" Albus asked innocently.

"Didn't you hear what she said as soon as the train started going?" Rose said.

Albus and Sam shook their heads.

"She said that no one was to mess with her 'cause she's Nancy Greengrass and she's going to be in Slytherin so everyone had better watch out," Rose said.

"And that's must be why she got really annoyed when we asked her to go away," Albus said.

"Anyway, Albus, who's your friend? He doesn't seem to want to introduce himself," Rose said.

"I don't see you striving to introduce yourself, do I?" Sam said in his defence.

"Now that is very true. I'm Rose, Rose Weasley," she said.

"I'm Sam Grigg. It's nice to meet you. I have just one question. How do you know Albus?" he said.

"I'm his cousin,"

The train shuddered to a stop a few hours later. The students, now in their pristine robes, stepped out of the carriages to find a darkening sky red with the sunset happening at that exact moment. Soon enough the platform was full to bursting with children swarming around the platform trying to find their friends. A loud voice was heard above all the others.

"Firs'-years! Firs'-years over here!"

Hagrid was there, like his father said, to see them across the lake.

"C'mon, follow me. Anymore firs-years? Mind yer step, now! Firs-years follow me!" he shouted over the noise of the crowd.

The first years made their way towards the boats moored on the edge of a dark black lake. Albus and Sam climbed into a rowing boat with Rose and a boy following closely behind. The boats jolted forward as soon as the last person had sat down. One boat in the middle of the pack was rocking and tipping, the three boys inside running from side to side in a frenzy of energy. The fourth boy, the smallest one in all of the boats, was leaning over the side as if he was about to fall in. All of a sudden, with a final push the boy fell face first into the murky glom of the lake's waters.

Hagrid shouted over the water, "What d'you think you're doing, pushing a defenceless boy out of the boat!"

The boats slowed down to pick up the boy who had fallen out. The boy climbed in and Hagrid gave him his coat to wear. The coat on him was too big and it swamped him. The boats turned the corner towards the castle. There was a loud "oooooh" as the students saw Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for the first time. The maze of turrets and pasageways could be seen from where they were sitting, staring up at the castle, wide-eyed at the beauty.

The boats carried them through a curtain of ivy that hid an opening in the cliff face. They journeyed through a tunnel towards the heart of Hogwarts. They emerged in an underground harbour, and clamboured out onto the rough pebbles and rock path leading towards the front door. The door was large and wooden and had a large bronze door knob on the front. Hagrid paused at the front door.

"Is everyone here?" Hagrid asked.

He reached up and grabbed the door knob in his mighty hand and knocked three times on the door.


	4. The sorting hat

Chapter 4

The door opens to find Professor Longbottom is waiting to take the first-years towards the hall.

He says, "I'll take it from here, Hagrid. Come along children. Ah, hello again Albus and Rose," nodding to each of them. "And I see someone fell in the lake did they? Now that happened in my fourth year at Hogwarts. It was Dennis Creevy, if I remember rightly." He turned and briskly walked down the hall into Hogwarts.

The children followed Professor Longbottom inside, where he led them into a room.

"I will come back for you once the headmaster is ready," Professor Longbottom said. "But for now stay in here."

He turned and disappeared through a door on the other side of the room that no one had noticed before. For a moment Albus could see the main hall. It was filled with students and teachers. Only one person stood out. It was Arthur Weasley, Albus's grandfather and headmaster of Hogwarts. Arthur was wearing green dressrobes to celebrate the new people coming to Hogwarts.

Meanwhile in the room behind the main hall no one knew what was going to happen once they stepped out of that room.

"What do we have to do?" a girl said. "Ahhhh!" She screamed and cowered behind her friend.

Four ghosts had just come through the wall into the room the first-years were in. They immediately shrank back towards the wall. One ghost stepped up before the others. He was fat and short, and he was holding a mug out before him. He looked like a monk, with the robes and belt he was wearing.

He said, "Don't be afraid. I am the Fat Friar."

But the children still cowered away from him.

"I won't harm you," he said.

"Albus stepped forward and a pointing at a ghost standing behind the Fat Friar.

"Are you... Are you Nearly Headless Nick?" Albus asked.

He floated towards Albus.

"I prefer to be called Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington, if you please," he said.

"Excuse me. How can you be nearly headless?"  
"Like this," Nearly Headless Nick said. He took hold of the hair on his head and pulled. Slowly you could see a hole appearing in his neck, the dark red blood still glistening from when he had died. The hole was now wide open. There was only a slit of skin holding his body together. "The executioner had a bit of a blunt blade, I have to say. He didn't cut my head off properly."

The door was opened and in came Professor Longbottom, holding a wooden, three-legged stool and an old and battered hat.

"Children, we are ready now," he said.

The children filed out of the room after Professor Longbottom. Albus caught a glimpse of the masses of students staring at him and immediately turned away and looked at the ground. Meanwhile Professor Longbottom had stopped and put down the stool with the hat placed on top. The hall was in nervous silence as they waited for the thing in front of them to move. Then, the first-years saw an amazing thing. The hat came to life! It just jumped up and gaped his mouth wide and started to sing:

 _I am a sorting hat,_

 _And a talking one at that._

 _I may be old and battered,_

 _But I am from the founders._

 _I can read you easily,_

 _As easy as can be._

 _Just put me on your head,_

 _And I can see your secrets._

 _Now Godric Gryffindor,_

 _He valued the ones brave at heart._

 _Of course Salazar Slytherin,_

 _The sly and cunning are his own._

 _The loyal and just were given,_

 _To Helga Hufflepuff._

 _Rowena Ravenclaw,_

 _Liked girls and boys with interlect._

 _Now that is all the founders,_

 _Who made this school one and true._

 _Which house will you be in,_

 _Now that you are here as well?_

 _I give you a warning._

 _Someone is coming._

 _Lestrange is back,_

 _And never was gone._

 _Heed my warning,_

 _And good will prevail._

 _Someone, a new one,_

 _Stands in her way._

 _Heed my warning,_

 _Sweet children._

 _She wants something,_

 _Something in Hogwarts._

 _So you had better watch out._

The Sorting Hat closed its mouth. Up sprung whispers all over the hall. The Sorting Hat Song had produced many worries before, but this was the worst. The headmaster banged his hand on the table and shouted to everyone to be quiet. The hall fell quiet at Arthur's touch.

"There is no need to be hysteric," Arthur said, "Everything will be fine and we will get on with the sorting. Professor Longbottom, come forward to read the names."

Professor Longbottom stepped forward and took hold of the hat, lifting it up so all could see.

"Now, in the order that I read your names out, you will come and sit on the stool and I will place the hat on your head. The Sorting hat will then tell us what house you are to be in," Professor Longbottom said. "Arthur, James"

A boy walked slowly and carefully towards the stool, looking fixedly at a point high up on the wall. He slowly shrank down onto the stool and Professor Longbottom dropped the hat on his head. The Sorting Hat then opened its slit for a mouth and shouted:

"GRYFFINDOR!"

James walked slowly down to the Gryffindor table, where people cheered for their first Gryffindor of that year. James held his head up high and he had on the biggest smile you could have had.

"Auburn, Suzie"

A girl stepped out of the crowd of first-years. She seemed shy but she had the most exemplary green eyes that protruded from her face. She sat down and Professor Longbottom placed the Sorting Hat on her head. Almost immediately it shouted:

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

Suzie walked down to join her fellow Hufflepuff students.

"Bailes, Ivy"

The girl who walked out of the crowd had brown and viciously curly hair and glasses perched on her nose. She sat on the stool and the hat was put on her head. The hat had barely touched her head when it shouted:

"RAVENCLAW!"

Ivy walked to the Ravenclaw table and sat amidst the greatest thinkers of all time at Hogwarts.

"Burns, Amber"

A confident girl sauntered out of the first-years as they made a path. She had vast amounts of make up on and she looked like a queen in ordinary clothes. She sat on the very edge of the stool as the hat was dropped on her head by a worshipping Professor Longbottom. When the hat finally told the crowd Amber Burns' house, it said:

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Amber walked down as people politely clapped her.

"Cathers, Jamie"

A tiny boy shuffled slowly from the back of the first-years. As soon as he showed, people started gasping and pointing, for he was wearing Rubeus Hagrid's moleskin coat. His whole form was swamped by this coat, with only his head poking out. He sat on the stool with the hat on his head. Although it took a while to decide, The Sorting Hat finally shouted:

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Jamie made his way to the Gryffindor table and sat down.

"Crabbe, Vincent"

Crabbe swaggered up to the stool and sat down, almost breaking it in the process. The hat dropped onto his head and it shouted the loudest it has ever been known to shout:

"SLYTHERIN!"

Crabbe stomped down to the Slytherin table.

"Greengrass, Nancy"

A confident girl stepped forward, ready to have her time in the spotlight. She seemed the kind of girl who could crush you with one look. She perched on the stool as the hat was placed on her head. It shouted:

"SLYTHERIN!"

She briskly goes up and walked towards her family for the next seven years.

"Grigg, Sam"

Sam walked forward, always at ease with his surroundings. He sat firmly on the stool and waited for the Sorting Hat to say:

"GRYFFINOR!"  
He smiled broadly and he walked down to sit next to Jamie.

"Hudson, Matthew"

A chubby boy walked out of the now thinning crowd. He had striking blue eyes protruding from his podgy skin. He sat down and the hat was placed on his head. After waiting for ten minutes in absolute silence, the hat finally said:

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Matthew stood up and skipped towards his hard-earnt space on the Gryffindor table.

"King, Louise"

A shy girl walked forward. She was unremarkable in every way. But that just mad e her special, for she was normal. She sat on the stool as the Sorting Hat shouted:

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

She looked to the ceiling, which was enchanted to look like the sky outside, and smiled. She was where she wanted to be. Louise walked over to the Hufflepuff table and sat down next to Suzie Auburn.

"Malfoy, Scorpious"

A boy with pale skin and red, pinched eyes walked forward with pride in his step. He sat down and with the hat barely placed on his head, it shouted:

"SLYTHERIN!"

Scorpious stood up proudly and stalked down to the Slytherin table where Crabbe was waiting for him.

"Morten, William"

A dark and studious boy with his skin stretched taunt over his bones walked forward proudly, and sat on the stool. The Sorting Hat shouted:

"RAVENCLAW!"

He smiled, hopefully to find friends in the Ravenclaws.

"Potter, Albus"

Albus walked forward, wondering what house he would be put in. He hoped it would be Gryffindor, after all, everyone in his family were put in Gryffindor. But then again, his father had nearly been put in Slytherin. Albus sat down on the stool. The Sorting hat was placed on his head.

"Now, which house should I put you in? Slytherin?" the Sorting Hat said.

"No! Anything but that!" Albus thought.

"You _don't_ want to be in Slytherin?"

"No, wizards go bad in Slytherin."

"Ah, but wizards go bad because of their choices, not what house they are put in. You could do great things, you know. Such great things. But, if you don't want to be in Slytherin it will have to be GRYFFINDOR!"

This last word he shouted to the crowd, waiting to see what house Harry Potter's son would be put in. The Gryffindor table erupted into cheers as Albus came to join them.

"Prescott, Amy"

A small girl with long blonde hair stepped forward. The shy but strangely compelling girl then sat on the stool as the Sorting Hat was placed on her head. The hat shouted:

"RAVENCLAW!"

Amy's house cheered as she came among them.

"Read, Lilly"

A thin girl walked forward strongly. She sat down on the stool and gripped it 'til her knuckles went white. She was obviously very nervous. Either that or she just wanted to hit someone. The hat had barely touched her head when it shouted loudly:

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Lilly slowly released her grip on the stool and stood up. She made her way towards the Gryffindor table, before falling over into James Arthur's arms.

"Thank you," she whispered so only James could hear.

James smiled and helped her into the seat next to him.

"Scamander, Lorcan"

A blond haired boy stepped forward to find out what house he would be put in. He sat down and the Sorting Hat was put on his head. After a few minutes it shouted:

"RAVENCLAW!"

Lorcan smiled at his brother and sat down at the Ravenclaw table.

"Scamander, Lysander"

Lorcan's double stepped towards the stool from where he was standing to see his brother being sorted. He walked forward proudly, hoping to be in Ravenclaw like his brother. He sat down as the Sorting Hat was placed on his head. It immediately shouted:

"RAVENCLAW!"

The Ravenclaw table erupted into cheers, with Lorcan Scamander clapping the loudest of all. Lysander sat down, feeling like a hero.

"Weasley, Rose"

Rose walked forward to take her turn with the Sorting Hat. She sat down without a doubt and Professor Longbottom put the Sorting Hat on her head. It shouted out loud:

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Rose smiled as the Gryffindor table cheered for their last new family member that year.

"Wood, Billy"

One of the last two boys stepped forward with a kindly expression on his face. The good-natured boy then sat down on the stool. The Sorting Hat shouted just after it touched his head:

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

As Billy smiled, his eyes twinkled like stars. He joined his new family of Hufflepuffians who would look after him for seven years.

"Wood, Mike"

Billy Wood's evil twin walked forward with a sneer on his face. The two boys were opposites, one loving and the other hating. Mike sat down on the stool and Professor Longbottom placed the hat on his head. It immediately shouted:

"SLYTHERIN!"

Mike joined Malfoy and Crabbe on the Slytherin table.

"Wright, Dana"

The final girl walked slowly up the steps towards the sorting hat, Professor Longbottom holding it up in the air. She sat on the stool, not wanting to concentrate as the hat was pulled down over her dull brown plaited hair. After several seconds it shouted out:

"GRYFFINDOR!" for the last time for another year.

As the sorting hat was taken off, Dana stood up to find that the Gryffindor table was clapping her and she gratefully sank into a seat at their table.

"That will be all now," Professor Longbottom said, while picking up the stool and the Sorting Hat. He walked over to the edge of the hall and put them down and returned to his place at the right of Professor Weasley.

Professor Weasley stood up and said, "Now, first things first. I hope you all had a good summer." The students cheered! "I will take that as a yes. Just to let the first-years and some of the elder ones know, the Forbidden Forest is, of course, forbidden to all students. Also, the second floor corridor is forbidden unless you want to die an untimely and painful death. Thank you."

As soon as Professor Weasley sat down, Albus's gaze immediately went from him to the piles of food appearing on the Gryffindor table. Albus took a bit off every plate; pork chops, roast potatoes, pasta carbonara, prawns, barbeque chicken, crab sticks, roast chicken, scrambled eggs, salad, chips. It could have lasted him a lifetime.

But eventually the food diminished to nearly nothing and everyone was leaning back and yawning in exhaustion. Finally Arthur Weasley leant back and the plates disappeared.

They were replaced by more plates bearing dessert. There was apple pie, banana fritters, creamed rice, treacle, Lindor chocolate and mint humbugs. Amazingly, the whole course went in five minutes! Arthur Weasley stood up.

"So now's the time for the school song. Ready? One, two, three, four..." Arthur Weasley said.

Arthur Weasley gave his wand a little flick and a long golden ribbon flew out of it, which raised high above the tables and twisted itself, snakelike, into the words of the song.

"Together now!"

"Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts,

Teach us something please,

Whether we be old and bald

Or young with scabby knees,

Our heads could do with filling

With some interesting stuff,

For now they're bare and full of air,

Dead flies and bits of fluff,

So teach us things worth knowing,

Bring back what we've forgot,

Just do your best, we'll do the rest,

And learn until our brains all rot!"

"Well, you all must be tired so go on up to your beds. Your bags have already been delivered to your rooms," Arthur Weasley said, "Prefects, lead the way."

Two sixth-years stood up in the centre of the table. It was Lucinda Thomas and Eric Wright, the prefects for this coming year. You could see their new and shiny badges if you looked closely.

"First-years, this way," Lucinda said.

She started walking with Eric at her side. Albus and the first-years walked up slowly behind the prefects. They led them left and right, this way and that way, up and down until finally they stopped in front of a portrait of a lady in a pink dress.

Eric said, "Snugglemuffin."

The portrait swung forward on its hinges, revealing the entrance to the Gryffindor common room. Albus stepped inside and immediately saw the comfy armchairs before a blazing fire. Everything looked perfect. It was just what he wanted.

"Okay, boys to the right and girls to the left. Your dorms are right at the top." Lucinda said, with everyone listening aptly to her every word.

Albus, Sam, Jamie, James and Matthew raced up the spiral staircase to the very top. The girls headed in the other direction not so quickly.

Albus wrenched open the door to their dorm and walked in. The room had a sloping roof that led straight up to the rafters. The five beds were positioned in a semi-circle, with luxurious, deep red curtains and opulent and exquisite wooden chests. Albus chose the centre bed and saw that there were window seats in the deep-set walls. He laid down and fell asleep immediately.


	5. A message from Harry

Chapter 5

There's one thing you should know about Hogwarts, nothing is ever normal there. For one, the morning post is more than slightly unusual. On Albus's first morning he had just sat down when whoosh, and in came a flurry of owls as if they came from nowhere. Many parcels flew down including a tiny, wafer thin one that landed straight in front of Albus.

"I wonder what it is," Sam said, once he'd got over the shock of his first morning post at Hogwarts, "Did you forget anything?"

"No. At least I don't think I did," Albus replied.

The group of boys sat in complete silence while Albus tried to work out what was inside. He poked and prodded it; he sniffed it and shook it, which did catch a few unwelcome looks; until he finally decided to open it.

He ripped open the brown paper to find a piece of old parchment in the package and a letter addressed to himself. It was written in his father's handwriting. He picked up the envelope and opened it with care, anxious not to destroy its contents. The letter read:

Dear Albus,

I trust you are having a lovely time at Hogwarts. I heard you were put in Gryffindor! I hope you have made friends. I am also hoping that you have made an enemy with Scorpious Malfoy, but don't tell your mother that!

Onto more pressing topics, I forgot to give you this present before you went off to Hogwarts. If you are asking me why I sent you a piece of old parchment I will tell you now. This is more than a bit of parchment. This is a map of Hogwarts. Every single name on this is a real life imitation of where they stand in that school.

But this could do with reinforcing with more information. This map was created by four people 70 years ago; James Potter I, Prongs, Sirius Black, Padfoot, Remus Lupin, Moony, and Peter Pettigrew, Wormtail. With this they could travel around Hogwarts at ease, because they will never be found out. At some point, the map was handed over to Argus Filch, the caretaker, and then Fred and George Weasley stole it by setting off a dungbomb in Filch's office. It was eventually given to me and now I give it to you.

To activate it, all you need to do is tap your wand on the surface of the parchment and say 'I solemnly swear that I am up to no good.' Once you are finished tap the map and say 'Mischief managed.'

From your loving father

P.S. Please destroy this as soon as you have read it. Make sure no one else sees you using the map and make sure no one else reads this letter.

"What does it say?" Sam asks.

"It's a letter from my dad asking how school is going," Albus lies.

"What's the parchment for then?" Matthew asks.

"Oh, it's just a spare piece that my dad forgot to give to me." That was near enough the truth anyway.

Albus looked towards the staff table. In the centre seat was Arthur Weasley, the headmaster. On his right sat Neville Longbottom, Herbology teacher, deputy headmaster and head of Gryffindor house. Next to him was Charms teacher and head of Hufflepuff, Ernie McMillan. The next teacher along was the man from the Leaky Cauldron. The one with the black top hat and the eye patch. His name is George Gulch. To the right of Gulch was Divination teacher, Lavender Brown and Argus Filch.

On the left of Arthur Weasley was Gabrielle Delacour and Blaise Zabini, two very different people. Next to them was Cuthbert Binns, the longstanding teacher who had the smoothest transaction into the ghosts. Cormac McLaggen replaced the old flying instructor. Next along the line was Angelina Weasley, née Johnson, who teaches Astrology. Rubeus Hagrid is on the end. He teaches Care of Magical Creatures, though his first job is Gamekeeper.

Now though, Professor Longbottom was coming over with a wad of papers in his arms.

"Here are your timetables for the year. You will have all of the main subjects; Charms, Herbology, Defence against the Dark Arts, Potions, Transfiguration and History of Magic," he said.

He passed the timetables around to all the first-years. Albus had double Potions then Herbology with Slytherin. Potions was in the dungeons so Albus needed to get going if he was to go up to the Gryffindor tower. He got up and he and Sam walked out of the main hall.

"Snugglemuffin," Albus said as they passed through the Gryffindor entrance to the common room.

"I just forgot something. Wait here while I get it. I'll only be a minute," Albus said.

He ran up the stairs, his bag bouncing off his back. He pulled out the Marauder's Map and slammed the door shut before locking it.

He said urgently, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

The map lit up from one corner and glowed in Albus's hands. When the glow died down, Albus could see an intricate map drawn on the front with the words,

Messrs, Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot & Prongs are proud to present

 **The MARAUDER'S MAP**

Albus opened the map. It showed hundreds of names all over the school. Albus found the Gryffindor tower. If he looked closely, he could see himself with his feet in the very top of the tower. Sam was still in the base of the tower, AKA the common room. This must have been what his father had meant by real life names. So it was better to explain in practice.

Albus suddenly remembered that he had Potions in five minutes! He grabbed a quill from his trunk and took off down the stairs, anxious to not be late for Professor Zabini.

"Come on!" Sam said, "We'll be late!"

The two boys ran non-stop down to the dungeons where the Potions class is held. They skidded to a halt before a fuming Professor Zabini.

"What do you think you were doing! You were late _and_ you were running."

"Sorry, we got lost," Albus said.

"Ah! Fickle little Albus Potter. Your father's the so called chosen one. Well you're not getting any favour from me!"

Albus and Sam squeezed past Zabini and took the last two seats at the back of the room beside Rose and Jamie.

"Now, today you will be making a potion for boils. The instructions are on the board," Zabini said and waved his wand at the board. "Start!"

Albus added six snake fangs to his mortar and crushed them into a fine powder using the pestle. He added four measures of the crushed fangs to his cauldron. He heated the mixture while counting ten seconds. He waved his wand over the cauldron. Then, he sat back for forty minutes, until he added four horned slugs to his cauldron. He took the cauldron off the fire and added two porcupine quills to the mixture. He next stirred it five times clockwise and waved his wand to complete the potion.

"Your time is up!" Zabini said, shocking everyone with his loud voice. "Scorpious, perfect as usual. Matthew, that is unacceptable work. Detention! You will do this e3xercise again, tonight at eight o'clock."

Matthew had forgotten to take his cauldron off the heat and it had burnt down into a block of pewter.

"Now, Albus what have we here? I see _you_ can read instructions, unlike your father. Bottle your potions!" Zabini barked.

The students scrambled to bottle their potions as the bell went off leaving a ringing sensation in everyone's ears. Albus and Sam slung their bags across their backs, dumped the potions on the front desk and cleared out. At the last moment before Albus was out of earshot of the freakish classroom, he heard a glass smash with a tremendous bang onto the flagged floor. He turned to see Scorpious positioned over it with a triumphant grin on his face.

"Oops," he said, loud enough for Albus to hear in the most sarcastic vice possible.

"Albus, as you have not got a potion to hand into me, you will get a zero on this assessment," Zabini said.

Albus turned away with a depressed expression on his face.

"Cheer up, we've got Herbology next," Sam said.

The two boys set off up the stairs and through the grounds into the building labelled "Herbology 1". Professor Longbottom was standing outside ready to welcome the new first-years to Herbology.

Once everyone had got there, Longbottom started to speak, "Hello there, and this is Herbology Greenhouse One. You will be taught in here for Herbology while you are a first-year student. Are all the Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs here?"

The students nodded as they checked the people standing next to them.

"Oh good. Come on in then," Longbottom replied.

Albus stepped in and stood with his mouth open at the sight before him. The entire room was filled with the strange flowers and plants of the Wizarding World.

"Now," Professor Longbottom said, "Everyone gather round, for today you will be learning of the Devil's Snare. This is a plant who likes the dark and damp. The plant is from Scotland and it is used to trap living things, squeezing them to death. This is it here."

Longbottom led the first-years eyes to where, in the centre of the table, was a patch of Devil's Snare. The dense, dark leaves were shying away from the light and hiding beneath itself to get away from the heat and light of the humans.

"This is a rather peculiar plant because when a living thing struggles within it, the vines and leaves holding it will tighten. Whereas if a victim relaxes, the plant will release them; perhaps because it thinks the victim is dead. But the best way to kill the Devil's Snare plant is to show it light and fire."

Longbottom took out his wand.

"The preferred spell to cast at the Devil's Snare is Incendio."

He pointed his wand and said "Incendio". A burst of blue light came from the tip of his wand, going straight for the centre of the plant. The Devil's Snare recoiled from the brightness in disgust. The leaves and vines around the hole had gone black, having been burned by the children of the blue flame.

"Now you may try this spell yourselves."

From every corner of the greenhouse you could hear the cry of "Incendio" and see the children of the blue flame bolting from wands to harm the Devil's Snare. In no time at all the plant was but a shrivelled pile of blackened roots. Amazingly when Albus stopped firing he saw the person across from him, James Arthur, with his hair blown up at all angles and black streaks across his face.

"James, what happened?" someone shouted.

"I...um...I think I blasted myself. A spell must have rebounded on me," James said, though rather unsure of himself.

"That is enough for today. Class dismissed!" Longbottom said.

The first-years ran out of the greenhouse, wanting to be back inside the slightly warmer castle. As Albus and Sam stepped inside the front entrance, they could hear the screams of people being plagued in the corridor ahead. Peeves the Poltergeist was throwing water bombs onto students trying to get to their next class. Running into the scene was Filch and his elderly cat, Mrs Norris. Peeves caught sight of Filch and shouted to him, "Can't catch me! Can't catch me!" in a playful but mischievous voice that Peeves is known for.

"Oh, no you don't!" Filch shouted angrily at Peeves.

Peeves was sitting on top of the giant chandelier in the centre of the entrance hall, about to undo the screws that keep it from falling over all the people walking through. That's a lot of people endangered now, you know. The chandelier swayed from side to side as if it had caught a breeze. Then suddenly it broke away and sailed to where Albus and Sam were standing on tiptoes to see what was going on in front of them.

"Duck!" someone yelled.

The people around the two boys pulled them down as the chandelier smashed on top of them, glass falling into everywhere that its long range could reach.

"Nobody move. It is important that you stay exactly where you are because of the glass that surrounds you," Rose said, who had come into the entrance hall soon after Albus and Sam.


	6. Dragon!

Chapter 6

The ground outside was crisp and had a layering of frost pinching the top. It was blowing a gale and first-years were stepping outside to begin their first flying lesson. Professor McLaggen walking with giant strides and his cloak billowing out behind him towards twenty brooms situated in neat lines in the centre of the Quidditch Pitch. The first-years quickly followed. They stood in a group by the brooms.

"Stand on the left side of a broom and place your hand over it, palm down," Professor McLaggen said. The first-years did just that. "Now say up and the broom should fly into your hand."

Albus shouted "UP!" to no one in particular, staring at the person across from him, Scorpious Malfoy. The broom suddenly shot into his hand, leaving him staggering from the impact. As Albus recovered from the shock, he began to notice the kids around him. Sam was saying "up" again and again to the broom but he was barely making it hop around on the ground. Rose had turned towards her broom and was saying "up" very sternly and was wagging her finger at it. Matthew Hudson had just given up after the first few times and picked it up instead. McLaggen stormed over to Matthew.

"What are you doing? If I wanted you to pick up your brooms I would have told you to do that. They will not fly if they don't respond to you saying up," he said, in a melodramatic voice.

Matthew dropped it and started to work again, this time the hard way.

"Now," he said, having to shout over the noise of the wind, "Those of you who have been clever enough to figure out how to keep your broom up" he looked pointedly at Matthew. "You will now need to climb on and start flying. Remember, where you point your broom is where you will go."

Albus stepped onto his threadbare broom and pointed it upwards. The broom lifted with him on it until he could barely touch the floor. He pushed upwards and he saw to his amazement the whole castle under his feet. He looked around him and saw boys and girls around him learning how to control their brooms. Albus was watching how Scorpious handled his broom. He sat stiffly and confidently with his back straight. He had obviously done this before. Scorpious pushed his broom handle just slightly too far and began to plummet towards the ground! Albus raced after him, seeing only later how much danger he had put himself in. Albus could hear Scorpious's ear shattering screams floating up towards him.

Neville Longbottom was picking leaves from a plant in Greenhouse Three when he heard the cries of a child over by the Quidditch Pitch. Had McLaggen hurt someone again 'cause it sure sounded like it. Neville pottered out into the open air. In the distance were two falling shapes. Neville walked closer. They were two boys on broomsticks!

Albus was drawing nearer and nearer to Scorpious, who was still flailing around in his descent to Earth.

"Hold still. I'm gonna try to save you," Albus screamed, desperate to be heard above the howling wind.

Scorpious stayed stock still as if he was saying in his cocky way, "I'm listening!"

Albus swoops down until he is under Scorpious. He brings one hand up to grab at Scorpious's broom. The other is still latched, knuckles white, onto his own. He brings his own broom level to Scorpious.

For Neville, this was a great action scene played right before his eyes. Albus knew what to do and just did it, regardless of his own safety. You don't get a heart like that very often.

At the last second, Albus pulled the two brooms up from their steep dive. He landed, not too softly, and stood, leaving Scorpious in a heap on the ground. He let the crowd surround him. Everyone was cheering and clapping him on the back. That one decision in the height of the moment had led to this, Albus, already famous for his courage, not just his father.

"Potter, come with me!" Professor Longbottom called from far away.

The first-years formed a path to let Longbottom past. Albus walked shakily through to join Longbottom. He turned and walked off at a brisk pace. Albus hurried to catch up as Longbottom stopped outside a doorway. He knocked and opened it.

"Could I borrow Adam for a second, if I may?" Longbottom asked politely.

An older boy sitting at the back of the classroom stood up and made his way to the door where he stepped outside. He tilted his head when he saw Albus.

"This is Albus Potter, your new seeker," Longbottom said calmly, as if a first-year getting on the Quidditch team is perfectly normal.

"Is he good?" Adam asked.

"He just pulled out of a fifty-foot dive."

Adam nodded and held out his hand. Albus took it, sealing his place in the team. Longbottom turned to Albus.

"You can go back to your class now."

Albus and Sam were just sitting in the Great Hall eating their lunch, when Scorpious and his two cronies, Crabbe and Mike, stood in front of them.

"It's you and me tonight at midnight, duelling in the Potions Dungeon," he looked round suspiciously. "Who's your second?"

"Sam," he said, touching Sam's arm, who looked up with a mountain of food in his mouth.

"Mine's Mike," he said, trying not to laugh. He staggered away, himself and his two cronies bursting with laughter.

"Did you really have to do that?" Albus hissed, turning to Sam.

"Sorry," Sam shrugged.

Someone tapped Albus on the shoulder.

"Hey! Didn't Dad say not to have duels before you know how? And anyway, I thought you might like this," said Albus's brother, James. He passed over a cloak. "It's Dad's Invisibility Cloak. I stole it from him a few years ago."

"Thanks," Albus said. He stuffs the shimmering cloak in his bag.

In the Gryffindor boys dormitory there were five young boys fast asleep. Each one was snoring but none as loud as Sam Grigg. All of a sudden, an alarm went off loudly in the middle of the room. Four boys jumped out of their skins at the sound. The fifth was still snoring as loud as before. Albus tried to smother the noise quickly, as the others looked around them in surprise, Sam's snores in the background. Slowly, Matthew, Jamie and James laid back down. Albus crept out of his bed and to Sam. He tried to shake him awake, but he only groaned and rolled over.

"Come on, wake up!" Albus whispered.

Sam opened his eyes. "I'm up," he said.

"Then get up," Albus said, stepping away.

Rose Weasley had been spending the evening to do her homework, while the common room was slowly emptying around her. Every few minutes her head would sag down into tiredness but she would jerk herself awake.

Only this time, what had woken her were two beings creeping across the room. She couldn't exactly see them, she just knew they were there. At that moment, a thundering elephant was coming down the boys staircase. Actually, it wasn't an elephant, just a curious Jamie. It's funny how someone so tiny could make such a loud noise.

Rose stood up and walked over to where she believed the two beings to be. She reached a hand out in front of her, the two beings leaning back to avoid being touched. Rose whisked the cloak off the two beings and immediately dropped it.

"Albus! Sam! Were you trying to sneak out?! You know you're not supposed to! That would lose us house points!" Rose burst out.

"Yes, if we get caught," Albus said cheekily.

"What were you going out there for anyway?" Rose asked, ignoring Albus.

"Albus got himself a duel with Scorpious Malfoy. I'm his second!" sam supplied eagerly.

"Right. Just don't go okay?"

"Of course we're going!" Albus exclaimed.

"Then I will go with you," Rose said, "But it's only to keep you out of trouble."

Jamie came up to Rose and tapped her on the shoulder. "Can I come? Can I come?" he said.

Rose looked strangely at Jamie. "Of course," she said rather surprised.

Rose threw the Invisibility Cloak over the four Gryffindors. She opened the door and they shuffled forwards. They made their way down the stairs to the Potions Dungeon. They slipped inside and pulled off the cloak.

"Is Scorpious here?" Rose asked, looking round.

"Doesn't seem it. You think he's tricked us?" Albus asked.

"It looks like it," Rose said, looking sympathetically at Albus.

The four heard a voice in the hallway. "Come out, come out, wherever you are!" Filch called.

The Gryffindors burst out of the Potions Dungeon and ran headlong away from the voice, leading them further down into the heart of the castle. Albus stopped at a door. He tried to tug it open. It wouldn't budge.

"Alohamora!" Rose shouted, her wand held rigid out in front of her. Albus pushed the door open and they all tumbled inside.

As soon as Albus had caught his breath, he saw the magnificent beauty of the place he had stumbled into. The deep red walls were shining with intricately placed crystals. Albus's gaze went to the centre of the room where a dragon was pacing, swinging its tail in alarming speed. Luckily, it hadn't yet seen them. The flared nostrils were huffing as it turned it's head towards them. It opened it's mouth and out of it a thick stream of blazing fire emerged.

"Aguamenti!" Rose shouted when she saw the dragon and its spiral of flame. Out of her wand came a wave of water which washed out the dragon's fire.

"Run!" Albus shouted.

Sam and Jamie were already barging out the door as Albus and Rose followed them, Rose keeping her spout of water directed at the dragon. She closed the door and said with her wand pointed at the door, "Colloportus."

The door locked itself as Albus looked at Rose quizzically.

"We don't want to be found out," she said with a shrug.

They made their way back to the Gryffindor Tower, forever vigilant in case of being found. Luckily, they made it back without being seen. Albus trudged wearily up the stairs and fell onto his bed. He was immediately fast asleep.


	7. The first spell learnt

Chapter 7

Albus and Sam walked into Charms the next morning, chattering away about their findings last night. They sat at the back of the classroom with Rose and Jamie. A man stood on a chair at the front of the classroom. He had white, blonde hair and seemed very tall, though this might have been because he was standing on a chair.

"Listen up children," he had no reason to shout because everyone's face was turned towards him in a jiffy, "I am Professor McMillan and this is now your Charms classroom. Now today we are going to practising the levitation charm. Say after me, Wingardium Leviosa!"

The whole class repeated the words "Wingardium Leviosa!" in a loud collective voice that vibrated round the school.

"Good. Now we do the hand movement. Just swish and flick," He did the movement. "It's your turn now!"

The first-years started to practice. Albus tried and tried but he just couldn't do it. Rose reached over and tapped Albus on the shoulder. He immediately stopped the frantic movements.

"Albus it's simple. Go swish and flick, just like Professor said," she explained, moving her hand slowly. Albus copied.

"That's it. Good work. What is your name again?" Professor McMillan asked Rose.

"Rose Weasley, sir," she replied politely.

Professor McMillan turned away, as Rose beamed to herself in glee. He walked slowly back to his chair, making sure to check on every person.

As Albus was watching this and everything going on in the loud Charms room, Rose whispered to him, "The dragon was there for a reason."

Albus turned to her very quickly. "What then?" he asked a few seconds later after he had got over the shock of wetting his pants.

"Did you not see what was behind that dragon?"

"Of course not! I was too preoccupied with the dragon's fire!" he burst out.

"A door! There's more in there, believe me!"

Their attention turned to where Professor McMillan was standing on his chair again.

"It seems that many of you have managed to do both tasks, so now we try it together!" he said, overenthusiastic, "Wingardium Leviosa!"

The feather in front of Amber lifted off the table to her amazement. It flew smoothly towards Professor McMillan, who caught it in his hand. He stood there for a second before realising that the first-years were waiting for him to speak.

"Go!" he said plainly and bluntly.

Lily and Matthew were practising in a corner, shouting Wingardium Leviosa at each other. At least, Lily was shouted, Matthew was mainly trying to calm her down. Jamie was trying so hard to get his feather to float, but no matter what he did, it would do no more than bounce off the table. Of course, genius girl Rose had got it exactly right first time round. Professor McMillan congratulated her.

"Well done! Well done! Ten house points to you," he said as Rose smiled.

The bell vibrated through the whole school at that very moment.

"OK... That's all for today. I want two rolls of parchment on the Levitation Charm in for next week. Class dismissed!"

The Gryffindor first-years then trekked over to where Transfiguration class is held. They lined up outside like good pupils should, so they'd been told. Albus could see Scorpious coming down the corridor towards him. His two cronies pushed people out of the way to create a path for Scorpious. A smart looking boy, who was maybe his his fourth year, stepped forward directly in front of Scorpious.

"You are wrongly shoving people aside and making them feel bad about themselves. What do you have to say for yourselves," he said bravely.

Scorpious's two thugs pushed the boy back against the wall, the other pupils pushing each other to stay out of the way.

"Don't talk to me like that!" Scorpious threatened, walking towards the poor boy.

"I'm older than you. I can hurt you with my wand," the boy says hesitantly.

Mike leaned towards the boy and wrestled his wand from him, the boy putting up a good fight.

He shouted, "No! No! Not my precious wand!"

Scorpious was handed the wand when he held his hand out.

"So you like your wand?" he asked.

The boy did nothing. Scorpious motioned to Crabbe who hit the boy with surprising speed and power. The crowd gathered around them all reacted to the shot.

"Now that is what will happen if you defy me." He tilted his head back and emitted a dark and evil laugh. "Mwa ha ha ha! So now you tell me; do you like your wand?"

"Yes, yes," the boy sobbed.

Scorpious held the wand out ahead of him, a hand at each end. He slowly bent it as the boy fought weakly against his jailers. The loud snap of the boy's wand made the shocked cries cease as Scorpious shattered the dreams of this poor boy. Scorpious drew back his hand and punched the boy on the nose, smashing his glasses. The boy was punched again and again, Scorpious getting pure pleasure from his doings. After many punches Albus stepped forwards, sick of what was going on in front of his nose. He pointed his wand at Scorpious.

"Do you really think that will stop me?" Scorpious said laughing.

He beckons to Crabbe and Mike who step forward, aiming to grab Albus. Luckily Rose and Sam are paying attention and they position their wands at Crabbe and Mike. Crabbe just stares at the wand, managing to go cross eyed in the process.

Professor Zabini appears out of nowhere.

"I will take it from here," he said smoothly. "Ten points off Gryffindor for each of you, Albus Potter, Sam Grigg and Rose Weasley." He spat out the names as if they were deadly. "You should not attack students," he added when he saw the fourth year student.

Albus hesitated in putting down his wand.

"Albus, wand down now!" he shouted and walked away quickly.

A teacher peered out from the half closed Transfiguration door.

"What is going on out here?" she asked as if she hadn't just heard the shouting and screaming.

A bounty of voices replayed their own very different versions of their fight.

"Just come in," she said quietly, all her energy gone in a blink. She turned and sat at her desk.

The Gryffindors and Slytherins bundled into the classroom. The teacher looked up and saw the fourth year boy still sitting with his head in his lap against the opposite wall. She started, seeing the Ravenclaw beaten up so badly.

"I'll be back in a minute, but I need to get a boy to the Hospital Wing. I require three people to help. You! You! And you!" she said, pointing at Albus, Sam and Rose.

She got up and strode out. She knelt down by the boy and talked to him softly. Rose went after her, eager to help. Albus and Sam were reluctant to move, until they saw the murderous faces of the Slytherins. They picked themselves up and rushed towards Rose.

The four of them half carried, half dragged the boy to the Hospital Wing.

"I don't want to intrude, but who is this boy?" Rose asked politely.

` "This is Alexander Riley, fourth-year student in Ravenclaw," she answered.

They travelled the rest of the way in silence, each of them trying their best to keep Alexander off the ground. Rose threw open the doors to the Hospital Wing. Madam Pomfrey turned around at the sound from treating a patient who had come in minutes before. She shrieked, seeing Alexander barely propped up between the four of them.

"Put him down!" she exclaimed, pointing to a spare bed.

They let Alexander down gently onto the bed. Madam Pomfrey quickly examined him.

"Now what happened?" she asked, starting to pick the pieces of glass off Alexander's face.

"Alexander, here," Rose said, nodding towards Alexander. "He got into a fight with Scorpious Malfoy."

"The new first-year?" the teacher asked.

"Yes. And anyway Alexander stood up for the crowd, he got beaten up. We stepped in with our wands to stop Scorpious. Then we got blamed for the whole thing by Zabini," Albus summarised.

"Did you get points taken off?" the teacher, Professor Delacour, asked.

"Yeah! Ten from each of us," Sam said, distracted.

"I give you each twenty points to Gryffindor for helping me carry Alexander here," she said, "Madam Pomfrey?"

"Call me Poppy, dearie," she said.

"OK. Poppy, will you be all right looking after Alexander, I mean he is in my house, so he's my responsibility-"

"It'll all be fine," Madam Pomfrey assured Professor Delacour.

"Are you sure? I just don't want to leave him-" said Professor Delacour.

"Dearie, just go," Madam Pomfrey said, sounding exasperated.

Rose led Professor Delacour out of the Hospital Wing. They walked up to the Transfiguration classroom, where there seemed to be a lot of noise coming from it. Professor Delacour walked in and immediately there became a deathly silence among the pupils in there. Mike had his wand pointed at a girl in the corner of the room, Amber Burns it was. Lily Read had passed out on the desk and James was frantically feeling for a pulse. Crabbe had something, it seemed to be egg, down the front of his robes. Nancy Greengrass was standing on the teacher's desk, all the papers were everywhere and a window had been smashed so all the glass had sprayed everywhere.

"What on earth has gone on here?" she cries.

Albus, Sam and Rose sneak in and look upon the disaster zone of a classroom. Several people mutter the answer.

"What was that?" she asked.

Amber Burns stood up.

"They kinda trashed it," she said.

"And how did they do that Amber?" Professor Delacour asked.

"They did spells and broke everything," Amber said.

"OK. Ten points off anyone who was in here," She decided. There were a few mumbles and groans. "Amber, can you tell me whose fault it was for this mess?"

"Um... Scorpious, Nancy, Mike, Crabbe and all the other Slytherins."

"The main people then."

"Scorpious, Nancy, Mike and Crabbe."

"Good. The four of you, detention at eight in here cleaning this up for the next week."

You could hear the groans of the Slytherins and see the smiles of the Gryffindors.

"Now you sit and I am passing round an ant for each of you. Do not crush it and try to kill it. Don't lose it either. I have spares but not enough for a spare for all of you. Do you get what I am saying?" Professor Delacour asked.

The students nodded in response.

"Good. You are going to turn this ant into a matchstick."

Crabbe put up his hand.

"What is it Crabbe?" she asked him.

"How do we exactly do that?" he asked boldly.

She sighed. "That is what I am about to tell you. You just point your wand at the ant and say 'Excribious Extorpus'. Say it now."

The class replied, "Excribious Extorpus."

"Good, good. Try it on the ant," Professor Delacour said while passing round the ants from a box on her desk that had luckily not been broken.

Albus caught his ant and stuck his wand to it.

He said, "Excribious Extorpus."

Albus held the ant up to his eye. It had not changed at all as far as he could see. He looked to where Sam was sitting next to him. Sam wasn't doing much better than him. His ant's head may be a bit pointier than his but it wasn't like he was jealous. Was he?

Suddenly, a loud explosion came from the corner of the classroom. Matthew, as always, had managed to blow up his face in the process of doing the spell. He still had his wand held to his ant which didn't seem to be harmed and his hair was blown back from his face, black as coal. He had a shocked look on his face still as if he had been paralysed. Professor Delacour rushed over to Matthew and looked closely at him. Matthew's eyes were staring straight in front of him, his pupils dilated to an extremity. She waved her hand in front of his face, trying to get him to respond to her movements.

"This is no use. He isn't moving. I need to get him up to the hospital wing," Professor Delacour said to the class deflated. "Three volunteers if you may, or rather if I may. Lets see..."

Three people put up their hands.

"Lily Read, Amber Burns and James Arthur come with me." With this she stood up and came over to Matthew. She straightens up after looking closely at him. Nobody had moved. "Come on then. What're waiting for? The rest of you..." She looks around. "...just keep on practising that spell."

The three students moved forward and together lifted Matthew out of the classroom. When they left the classroom, the Slytherins began to misbehave, no matter what Rose did to try to stop them.

Scorpious, Mike and Crabbe had got up and were throwing something across the classroom. Rose stood up and cleared her throat.

"Ahem!" Rose said loudly. No one took any notice of her.

"Ahem, I said! What are you doing?! That's not even near what we were asked to do!" she shouted, sounding exasperated.

Scorpious strolled up to Rose. "Exactly, we were only asked to do it. But it's not like I would listen to someone like her anyway," He said easily.

Rose stood in shock of what she had just heard.

Crabbe shouted out, "Aha! That got you then!" sounding pleased.

Rose sat down and and started to practice the transfiguration spell.

Soon enough, Professor Delacour arrived back with her three helpers. As the door opened, the students froze as one. Professor Delacour walked in and they all looked up and locked eyes with her. The three helpers slipped in and escaped back to their seats. The class was unmoving as their ants crawled out of their grips. The ants opened their wings and took off.

In that moment the whole class went crazy as they tried to capture their mutant ants. One ant was lazily flying in the middle of the room. Crabbe, Mike and James stood and jumped with their arms stretched out. The ant flew higher and the three boys managed to slam their heads together with a sickening bang. The ant then flew all over the classroom wreaking havoc.

"Eeeeek!" Jamie cried as the flying ant came towards him.

He dived beneath the desk with his behind sticking up in the air. Albus leapt to the rescue! His hands went up around the ant as it continued it's path. Unfortunately the ant was too quick for him and he fell to the floor.

Sam was the next to try to catch that pesky ant.

"Lead him to me!" he shouted.

"And how do we do that?" Lily asked, quite puzzled with the concept.

"I don't exactly know," Sam admitted, "But I'll think of something."

An ant landed on the table. Sam slowly moved and suddenly squished it with a book.

"Got it!" he shouted, holding up the squished version of the ant on the back of the book.

Every few minutes another ant would be killed and everyone would cheer since they were one step closer to getting rid of all the ants. Regrettably this also got the ants to fly away again but you couldn't have everything, could you?

Finally the last ant was squashed.

"Now we have got over that crisis, I'll give you each out another ant," Professor Delacour said.

Rose took hold of her ant and immediately started to practise the spell on it. All of a sudden the wriggling ant changed into a matchstick, to the amazement of Sam!

"So that's what a matchstick is..." Sam muttered.

Rose jumped up and shouted, "I did it!"

Professor Delacour took the matchstick from Rose and examined it carefully.

"Well done..." Professor Delacour paused. "What's your name?"

"Rose Weasley, miss."

"Well done Rose. This," she looks at the class, holding out the matchstick, "This is a fine specimen of a good transfiguration spell. Now for the rest of you, you will only manage it if you keep practising."

She gave the matchstick back to Rose.

Sam on the other hand hadn't even a pointy end to his ant, let alone an actual matchstick. He tried everything! He prodded it and pinched it; he flicked his wand and swiped it. But nothing happened!

He shouted, "Excribious Extorpus," hoping to see some change in his ant. Nothing happened.

Sam noticed Rose watching him out of the corner of her eye.

"What am I doing wrong?" Sam asked Rose.

"You have to say ExCRIbious ExTORpus! Not Excribious Extorpus!" said Rose.

"How is that different, not to be rude or anything."

"You have to put emphasis on the second syllabus. That's where you're going wrong!" Rose said, as if it was obvious.

That week came and went and soon it was Friday and the three Gryffindors had an afternoon to themselves.

"I said I'd meet Hagrid today. Do you want to come with me?" Albus asked.

The others nodded in response. They were sitting in the Gryffindor Common Room, the room empty since it was a warm and sunny day outside. The light streamed in from the high windows and warmed up the room. The set off outside, travelling across the Hogwarts grounds to the tiny hut by the Forbidden Forest, Hagrid's hut. His hut seemed small on the outside and the pumpkins in the garden were ripe and almost ready to harvest. Rose knocked on Hagrid's door.

A deep, rumbling voice shouted from inside, "C'mon in."

Rose slowly pushed open the door. Inside she could see traps attached on strings to the roof. A large table and chairs sat in one corner. Suddenly a giant black dog bounded forwards and knocked Rose over. It started licking her face.

Hagrid said, "Fang, calm down!" pulling at Fang's collar. He looked up to see who his visitors are. "Ah! Albus! It's so good to see you!"

He walked forward and wrapped his bear arms round Albus, leaving his feet floundering in mid-air. Hagrid gently set Albus down onto solid ground.

"Who are yer friends?" asked Hagrid.

"This is Rose Weasley and this is Sam Grigg." Albus said quickly, pointing to each of his friends in turn.

Hagrid walked further into his hut and sat heavily on a reinforced chair. Albus followed him hesitantly and sat on another chair. Hagrid pushed a plate of strange rock like objects towards Albus.

"Rock cake?" Hagrid asked Albus, Sam and Rose.

The three of them shook their heads.

"Oh go on! They're good!" Hagrid said excitedly.

Albus took a rock cake and bit into it. He felt his teeth scrape against the edge of the rock-hard cake. He could see the pained expressions on Sam and Rose who had also just bitten into a rock cake themselves. Albus tried to resist the urge to spit the rock cake out, instead trying to swallow it. Hagrid would be crushed if he found out they didn't like his rock cakes. Hagrid took one and ate it in one bite.

"Water?" Hagrid asked.

"Yes please!" Albus easily answered. "That would be great!"

Hagrid reached across to where a jug stood filled with fresh water. He poured the water into four gigantic mugs and passed them round.

"Ye look so much like 'arry, ye know," Hagrid remarked, "He helped me a lot with all ma pets. Would ye do that as well, Albus?"

"Yes, of course. What sort of pets did you have?" Albus answered.

"Well, there was Fluffy, ma three-headed dog; an' Aragog, ma giant tarantula; an' Norberta, a Norwegian Ridgeback Dragon. But Norberta was taken to Romania and Aragog died."

Hagrid starts crying.

"What pets do you have now?" Rose asked gently.

Hagrid lifted his head from the table.

"I have this dragon. Such a sweet thing really, but it did set ma beard on fire a few times," Hagrid said sheepishly, "He's quite like Norberta. His name's Firewhisky."

They looked at him strangely.

"Ye know, after the drink."

"Where is your dragon at the moment?" Rose asked.

Call him Firewhisky an' he's in the Hogwarts dungeons."

"How would you get past that dragon?"

"Call 'im Firewhisky!"

"Firewhisky then!"

"There ye go! All ye have to do is wave some honey in front of its nose an' it'll do what ye want. Ye see I always used to... Wait! Why do ye want to know this? Ye don't know about the thingy in the basement, do ye?"

"Well we knew about the dragon and you just admittedc there was something else down there. Anyway, we knew it was guarding something," Rose said plainly.

"Oh."

Hagrid stood up and started to pace from one side of his hut to the other, causing the whole structure to shake. He seemed to be thinking.

"I shouldn't tell ye any more an' it's getting dark so ye need to head back up to Hogwarts. Ye know you're not allowed out at night," Hagrid finally said.

They started to grumble.

"But..." Sam started to say.

"No. It'll be me getting told off for not sending ye up there soon enough," Hagrid said.

He carted the three Gryffindors out his door and saw them slowly walking up the hill towards the front door of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.


End file.
